Mt hands are toast and I have to go see the acupunctrist but I copied this from my ra support group board.
Thanks everyone. I started off on the Lycra. I took it for about 6 weeks, started on a lower dose and went up. It was so expensive though and they said the gab was pretty much the same thing and MUCH cheaper. So, I have been on the nerve drugs since the first of the year. They make me dizzy, nauseous and completely out of it. I did start taking the gab again yesterday and I feel even worse today.
I am just out of the will to fight. I have been sick for three years without a solid dx. I have lost 5 babies. I have lost friends. My marriage is suffering. I have NO sex drive at all.
I was and am still trying to be hopeful for this new pain clinic. It hasn't gotten off to a very good start though. The first day I waited over 3 hours for my appt. They can't start any meds or iv infusions until the blood work comes back and just getting the blood took 3 days, 4 people, 12 pokes, passing out for 15 minutes, oxygen, my body is just so frail.
I was than hopeful for the new physical therapy (pt). I asked them how their pt was different from every other pt places I have gone to. They said the therapist was from Canada and they believe in treating the whole body and not just body parts. That the therapist spent the whole time, hands on with you instead of passing you off to an assistant. Ok, sounds good.
Went to my appt last night. After waiting 30 minutes, talking to others in the waiting room. I find out that THREE people had the same appt time I had with the same therapist!!!!!!!!! He turned out to be very kind, foreign, a bit hard to understand, but was very honest. He said that it seems, for whatever reason, that I have MANY, many different muscle con-strictures thought out my body. That is PROBABLY (he is guessing) what is causing the pain and swelling.
He wrapped me in some heat and left me laying on the hard table for 30 minutes, not comfortable at all. Than he spent about 5 minutes pressing on the con-strictures in my right arm. I have to say it hurt like hell! He said that because the muscles have constricted so much they have torn and caused fibrous tissues to form and they have to break up the fibrous tissues and that it is going to hurt.
My arm feels bruised today but I have to say I do have a tiny but more range of motion in my wrist and hand. He only is in that office wed and fri and I can not take time off on fri so I made an appt for next wed. I just hope that he actually has time to spend with me or I see no point in continuing to take time off work for it.
I do see the acupuncture person today in one hour. I was told that I should be able to tell if the acupuncture is working with in six visits. Ok. I will give it 6 visits with an open mind. I should be able to get those in before my 4-12 appt with the rheumy. If I have not gotten any improvement or a more solid dx, than I am going to fight to go to the Cleveland clinic.
I am so depressed. I see a zillion doctors, they all agree something is wrong but no one can even tell me WHAT is wrong, let along fix it. My mother has similar problems and is pretty much bed ridden, she is 55. Her problems started about the same age I am now. I look at her and I just can not imagine my life being like that in 20 years. If that's the case, I don't want life. The pain is too much, the depression is too much. The lack of proper dx after so many years and so many doctors makes me think I am insane. They have the technology to clone a person for crying out loud but they can not tell me why I am so sick??!!!
I am not asking to run a marathon. I am willing to do whatever treatments they think will help, to take whatever toxic drugs they throw at me, to do whatever alternative treatments. WHATEVER, I will do it. But I have to start seeing some improvement. I just can not go on like this much longer.
I will post an update when I get back from the acupuncturist.
-------------------- Taking it one day at a time.....